Tag Archives: Housing

I met “Danny” and “Keisha” in the Jackie Robinson Park at 145th and Bradhurst, in Harlem, where they were hanging out with Keisha’s four year old daughter, and their nephew, who is two, on their day off from work. Danny works in demolition, Keisha is a dental tech in a dental office in Manhattan. To my surprise, they agreed to talk with me, though both were adamant: “No names, no pictures, no videos!”.

He is gregarious and sassy, in marked contrast to his girlfriend, who is quiet, polite, and sits still as stone on the park bench beside me, considering each answer with care, and seldom showing much emotion beyond a gentle smile. In their early twenties, they both graduated from local high schools and have lived in Harlem their whole lives, though Danny has done some traveling and is interested in the idea of moving elsewhere. Keisha is Harlem through and through, loves New York, has only been across the river to New Jersey a few times – other than that, she has spent her life here in Harlem, and has no interest in moving.

Asked about welfare, they give me the same response I have heard many places this summer – first they say they only get food stamps. Then, they mention that the kids get free meals at school. Then they mention that they have the free cell phones they get for qualifying for welfare. Then they say, “Oh, yeah, I have the Medicaid card”, and then finally, yes, they do live in subsidized housing as a matter of fact.

I can’t tell if it is willful lying, or just a lack of understanding that all these programs are part of a vast entitlement system that subsidizes their entire lives, from cradle to grave. I certainly find myself wondering how many people don’t really consider any of these programs welfare programs. Indeed, Danny and Keisha think they are entitled to them in the true sense of the word entitled: to “Give (someone) a legal right or a just claim to receive or do something.” When asked about each program, their reply is “Well, I need it, I can’t do it on my own, so New York needs to take care of me.” They don’t have any concept of the difference between federal and state and local programs, though they do understand that there is quite a bit of overlap, and some ‘needs’ are met by overlapping offices (housing, for example, can be provided through either HUD (federal) housing vouchers, or through programs provided by the city of New York).

Once we started talking about fraud and abuse in the system, things really got interesting, and this is when I realized that New Yorkers really do master everything they do, whether it is money making on Wall Street or money taking in the ghetto (though some might argue that both are ‘takings’). Whereas elsewhere in the country food stamp recipients sell their food stamps for fifty cents on the dollar, here in New York food stamp recipients go to grocery stores, find people with full grocery carts, and negotiate what the buyer will pay for the food stamps, usually seventy cents on the dollar. As Danny said “You a FOOL if you’re paying full price for groceries, lady, when you can get instant 30% off just by using someone’s food stamps! Why would you do that? You stupid?”… Why would I do that? Food for thought!

As for health care, whereas in other parts of the country people hide income and assets to get on medicaid and medicare, here in New York people just pay medicaid card holders to borrow their ID cards, and go to the doctor with other people’s cards, so one medicaid account might be covering medical care for several people. Housing? Well, here in New York people rent out their HUD subsidized housing and take the money and go live elsewhere, in nicer neighborhoods.

You almost feel a grudging respect for these New Yorkers, who have taken gaming the system to the nth degree. I mean, frankly, you have to admire their gumption, right? But given the population of New York City (eight million people and climbing) and the number of people involved, the cost of their creativity comes at a shockingly high cost to us all.